It looks like you need a Phillips #000 screwdriver for the 10 bottom screws. I tried the #00 and it's too big. Good thing I bought a 23 piece precision screwdriver set or else I would have been screwed.

The 10 screws that hold tha bottom case take a #00 Phillips driver, if yours doesnt fit it's probably because it's cheaply made & not precise enough. The only thing that I needed a #000 driver for was the keyboard screws. They're so small they look like specks of dirt or sand. I stripped out 4 of them & now will need to grind the heads off with a Dremel/rotary tool. The other thing that sucks is iFixit doesn't have a tutorial for keyboard replacement!

A true Phillips head screw's slots are rounded at their inner corners, to allow the screwdriver to "cam out" (pop out) of the screw head before you apply too much torque and strip the threads in the part that you're torqueing the screw into. However, the screws used in the Macbook don't have those rounded inner corners, so they're not Phillips. Instead, they may be a Japanese standard known as JIS B 1012, or a Frearson (also known as a Reed & Prince), but that's a less common design. Maybe technically these non-Phillips screws should be used with a screwdriver that was specifically designed for them, but they can be properly removed and reinstalled using a truly precision-made Phillips #00 (some people find a #000 sometimes works even better) whose tip comes to a sharp point--not the lousy fake "precision" screwdrivers that are sold in too many places. See my next comment for more.

Many screwdriver manufacturers get away with marketing fake "precision" screwdrivers because, in the words of the Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sc...: "Most heads come in a range of sizes, typically distinguished by a number, such as "Phillips #00" or "Torx T5." These sizes do not necessarily describe a particular dimension of the drive shape, but are often arbitrary designations in the same sense as a "Size 8" dress."

In other words, the quality of many "precision" screwdrivers is poor. In my experience, one of the biggest problems with many fake "precision" Phillips screwdrivers is that the four blades at the tip are often too wide, and their width may even vary on the same screwdriver (they're not supposed to). So just because a screwdriver is marketed as a "precision screwdriver", it may not be, and many that are labeled as #00, or even #000, will not work for a Macbook's screws. See my next comment for still more.

One of the best manufacturers of precision screwdrivers is Wiha (http://www.wihatools.com/tech-tools/prec... cost more, but they're worth it. Or buy screwdrivers from iFixit, who seem to be selling JIS screwdrivers.

Before I started removing any screws I took a piece of paper and drew the bottom of the laptop and put a piece of double-sided tape in the spot where each screw goes. That way when I took out the screws, I could put them on the tape so I knew exactly which screw went in which spot. I did the same thing for dismantling the inside on another sheet of paper, then a third sheet for the screen after getting the front glass off.

I use a similar technique: I print out the iFixit manual for the job, and Scotch-tape down the screws/brackets/cables I remove at each step next to the component descriptions. That way, when I'm reassembling, the bits are taped right next to the photo of where they came from.

I'd use a Phillips #000 screwdriver also. The #00 can work, but if the screws are in really tight, it doesn't get far enough down into the screws to get purchase, so it will start to strip (and I agree that the screws are pretty soft). On mine, the screws for the fan were really tight, started to strip with #00, needed a #000 and quite a bit of pressure to get them to move.

The Mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13" does support 16 GB RAM, but it is very picky about the type of RAM. OWC sells a 16 GB kit (2x 8 GB). I think it's got to be 1066 (aka 1067) MHz RAM. A lot of 8 GB modules on the market now are faster than 1066 MHz, and reports I've read say people start getting kernel panics if they use the wrong RAM.

"*Originally, both the official and actual maximum RAM was 8 GB. However, as confirmed by site sponsor OWC, if running OS X 10.7.5 or higher, updated with the latest EFI, and equipped with proper specification memory modules, this model can support up to 16 GB of RAM."

Our Mid 2010 already had "the latest EFI" (i.e. Boot ROM version in System Profiler), so the reference to updating it may not be relevant.

I had the same problem. The #00 screwdriver worked for some of the screws but some others were too tight and I had to use a #000. Maybe it was because the cover had slightly bent because the battery inside had basically doubled its width, but I still found that the #000 was a much better fit for these screws. Even the ones that came out with the #00 came out much easier with the #000. I would suggest updating this guide to suggest using a #000.

If you are running OS X 10.11.2 or newer, battery provided by iFixIt will not work. I've already tried 2 batteries from iFixIt and neither worked. iFixIt needs to come clean on this unfortunate situation. I've already put 8 hours into this futile effort when it should have taken me 45 minutes.

I purchased the IFixIt 54 bit Driver Kit and their Phillips #00 are <b>NOT</b> the appropriate size for the bottom screws on this MacBook Pro. This manual needs to have the tools changed to Phillips #000 Screwdriver. Until then I shall not click the "Give the author +30 points" button. Apart from that, the rest of the manual is very good. It would also be an idea to make a comment about making sure the battery connector is in the correct position when plugging the battery back in. One poster commented that their battery will not charge anymore. My guess is a pin(s) was/were bent due to the connection not being in the vertical orientation when being pressed back together. :-)

THANK YOU for writing and generously supplying this guide for our use. It is much appreciated. +30 point coming when the Phillips #000 size is changed or added.

It is really critical, super easy, and free(!) to clone your existing drive onto the new one you will install. I ran into one error, but SuperDuper! support replied immediately on how to fix it...Thanks ifixit and SuperDuper! (I ponied up the $28 for the software anyway, I was so impressed!)

yes. I usually plug it in before I screw it down so I can lift the battery a bit and have enough slack to be able to go straight down on the connector, otherwise it comes in on a bit of an angle, which can't be good (though not necessarily bad).

Disconnecting the battery connector is not that different from simply unplugging a battery from an older model MacBook with a removable battery. You're not trying to protect yourself from a "spark", but the internal circuitry when taking the MacBook apart.

A very easy and fast update indeed! Using this guide and the tools indicated on top I replaced the two RAM cards (2GB each) with two 8GB RAM cards from OWC for a total of 16GB RAM in my MBP Middle 2010 Core 2 Duo (Officially not supported according to Apple).

Removing the battery is not required, but in some instances can make installing ram much easier. If you plan on upgrading from 4GB (2X 2GB) to 8GB (2X 4GB) Removing the battery would be better. There are two levels of ram. If you are replacing both levels, then remove the battery. If you are just replacing the top, dont bother. Removing the battery for very long or even at all (depending on the CMOS battery age and health) could possibly reset settings, the clock, saved wifi passwords, and more.

This step almost finished me, and I did extensive damage to the battery plug. Fortunately, I later replaced the battery, and the replacement came with a new plug! :) Newbies need to know - 1. The battery plug is like a thin lip on a thicker lip, so you need to pry BETWEEN 2 thin lips to get it off, else you are trying to yank out the socket. 2. Mine was initially VERY tight, and trying to get it out broke the plastic on all sides of plug, even though I was as careful as possible. Luckily, this didn't hurt functionality and I later replaced the battery. AFTER disconnecting once, it was never so tight again,

Guys I just used my index finger nail. It’s the most useful nail to let grow a little bit for this type of procedure. Came off pretty easy when using both my right hand index and left hand index together to lift the plug up out. Found some plastic folded it and place it right over the socket so the plug would go back in and now the plug holds the plastic in place so I can focus on the main work.

My subwoofer/right speaker connection seemed to be soldered on the main board. Of course, I pried this off..realizing right after that there was no reconnecting it (&^$%^@!). There's really no reason to even disconnect this wire on the MacBook pro 13 mid-2009

Please Be Carefully With This Step, Because I Had To Resolder It Back To The Logic Board. But There Is A Black Foam Piece Over The Cable You Have To Pry Up, Lift The Foam Piece And Then Try To CAREFULLY Pry Cable Connector

Be careful to the piece of plastic that prevents camera cable failing out its socket! Do not force connector! Look at plastic before attempting to remove connector Plastic is partially covered by cdrom flat connector at right of camera cable connector

So I unfortunately did not find this guide when I was replacing my keyboard. I did at first force this connection, didn't know I could peel that black plastic piece off, then was able to smoothly get it in. Now my Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/web cam isn't working. I'm looking at the connection now and it looks undamaged. How do I know for certain I damaged the cord and/or socket

For my mid-2010 mbp, removing the 4mm screw is not enough as the camera cable bracket is under the black cover. I need to unscrew another screw (see the dark cover in step 6). However, the speaker (dark circle in step 6) is a strong magnet and the little screw flew onto it and crack the speaker slightly. You need to be very careful of this. The sound wasn't as clear when I turn on loud volume after that.

Be careful when taking off the screws here. When I was taking apart the bracket, one of the screws became severely stripped (to the point where it was rounded. I had to wait to wait until my father got home so he can give me his screw extracting tools. The same can be said for the display cable bracket ( but that one wasn’t such a big deal for me since I didn’t severely strip it, a bigger screwdriver helped out for me.)

As you can see, there was a light/dark banded pattern along the bottom of the screen, corresponding to the LCD's backlight. In my case it was also accompanied by a constant high pitched whistling noise. I swear to anything that's holy, it was not coming from the fan or the speaker, but rather the motherboard itself.

Anyway, both these problems went away when I disconnected and reconnected the connector at this stage. I'm saying this on the off chance it helps someone else.

I also encountered the issue at the bottom of the screen. I can't get mine to go away. I can make it vary a bit or at least the whole display to vary by fluctuating the connection, but it just won't go away. I'm open to any other suggestions.

I might have manhandled the bottom of my screen a bit. I didn't realize how to get the plastic u-shaped cover off, and I fudged around with it for a while before reading somewhere that it just slides down. I thought I had read that it snapped on, so I had been a little flustered on why it wouldn't snap off.

It's not to clear but there is a piece of spring steel that rotates away from the main (circuit board side) of the connector....this piece sort of hugs the parameter of the screen cable locking it to the circuit board...both arms wrapped around your brother....looking closely (10x magnifier) at this cable one of the gold connections is slightly oxidized---my display arbitrarily flickers and this symptom is lessened as the temperature increases...I suspect this is the cuase of the screen flashing on/off

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Re-assembly hint: Laying the base, keyboard down, on a table top with the hinge side over the edge about 1/2" toward you is a more stable position for re-assembly than trying to do this up on its edge. This has the added benefit of being able to reinsert the torn screws vertically.

May be in the wrong place but then please direct me. At this step, can I just take off the upper half (meaning the screen, LCD, and top housing shell in one) and simply replace it with another upper half of the same edition???

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In the following steps, you will use a heat gun to soften the adhesive securing the outer black border around the underside of the front glass panel to the display. The area the adhesive is applied to is shown in red in the second picture.

With the heat gun set to low, start by heating the outer black border near the upper right corner of the glass panel.

Always aim the heat gun away from the soft rubber strip around the display glass. Heating the rubber will cause it to melt slightly, turning its finish from matte to glossy. Touching overheated rubber can cause it to permanently deform.

Due to the heat applied, it is normal for a layer of condensation to develop on the inside of the glass panel and/or the outside of the LCD. It can be removed with glass cleaner once the glass is separated from the display.

With a lot of heating, for me, it was very hard to get the glass to separate from the case. I had better luck starting from the bottom right as I could grip better onto the case. Three mistakes I made:

1. Once I got the glass separated, I probably didn't heat sufficiently as I was going around and the glass broke. That made the rest of the procedure miserable. Lesson: pull very gently.

2. I must have touched one of the tiny bits of glass that fell on the LCD and it scratched the actual screen. :-(. Lesson: vacuum the pieces as you go and be very careful when touching the LCD.

3. I somehow overheated the LCD screen at the top left and right corners and now the display is all wonky and faded at the corners. Not sure what the lesson is here.

It's been a while since you asked, but since no one answered and someone else may have the same questions:

Hair dryers vary a lot, depending on wattage. I would start on low or med, and work my way up to high if necessary. I'd keep the fan on the lowest setting.

The little suction cup is for removing screens like the iMac, which just uses magnets, and possibly an iPad or iPhone. I would not want to use that for this project, get something about 2" wide with a decent handle.

The screen should have the double sided glue tape already applied, just remove the backing. I wouldn't get glass that doesn't have the tape on it, big waste of time with little savings in cost.

****EASIEST WAY TO REMOVE GLASS**** Instead of using this large heat gun, I used an Ancor Marine Grade Mirco Thermal Heat Gun (Ancor 702027) I picked up at West Marine. The tip is the exact width of the black trim and really concentrates the heat to the tape without heating outter rubber trim. No lie....I followed the heat gun all the way around the edge with a tiny pry tool and the glass was off in 5 min!!

All I can say for this is don't be tempted to hold the heat gun too close. I ended up burning my LCD the first time I did it and having to replace that when all I was looking to do was replace the cable. I got the glass off holding it about 4/5 inches from the screen and being patient (it took about 5/10 minutes in the end).

The tape is very sticky and the glass is very fragile but at the same time fairly flexible.....I ended up breaking the glass ans it turned out to be a mess picking up the shards....but in the end a new glass is not too costly. the implication is that heating melts the glue but it is really just double stick tape.....there are some "youtube" videos that are worth a look but I would suggest using guitar picks and not a putty knife which creates a point load that breaks the glass....wear safety glasses!!

Be ready to replace the glass (good thing mine was already broken, I ordered one). Wear surgery gloves and protective glasses. Trust your nose, if it smell melted plastic, it’s a good clue to stop the heat.

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With the panel sufficiently heated, fasten a heavy-duty suction cup near the upper right corner of the display glass.

Don't fasten the suction cup on top of the rubber strip around the edge of the display glass.

To attach the suction cups we sell, first position the suction cup with the movable handle parallel to the face of the glass panel. While lightly holding the suction cup against the glass, raise the movable handle until it is parallel with the other handle.

Slowly and gently pull the corner of the display glass up off the display assembly.

If only the top edge of the glass lifts up (as seen in the third picture), repeat steps one and two until you can lift up the corner of the panel.

I ended up breaking my glass panel due to using the spudger. I think if you use something more like a small putty knife you will do better. The spudger puts a lot of pressure in a small spot while the putty knife would put a little pressure over a larger area. Also, if you do break the glass, be sure to get ALL of the broken bits off before putting the new one on. Also, watch out for those broken bits as they tend to penetrate skin quite easily, and stay there for days!

How do you clean the LCD without damaging it? I have some glass dust and other things including a fingerprint resting on the screen, though I have yet to damage the LCD and would like to keep it that way.

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During the glass removal process, the camera cable may stick to the adhesive on the glass panel, disconnecting it from the camera board as the panel is lifted. If your camera cable is still connected to the camera board, skip this step.

To reconnect the cable, first use the tip of a spudger to remove the piece of foam tape over the camera cable ZIF socket.

Use the tip of a spudger to flip up the ZIF cable retainer on the camera cable socket.

Insert the camera cable into its socket on the camera board and use the tip of a spudger to snap down the ZIF cable retainer, locking the cable in place.

The plastic tabs of the clutch fit into slots that end up holding the clutch in place. The idea is that you need to slide the clutch to the right to free the plastic tabs from the metal slots in the LCD frame.....then you can separate the clutch from the frame.

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Starting at its far right end, rock the clutch cover along its long axis while pulling it away from the clutch hinge.

Working from right to left, carefully continue to release and lift the clutch along the lower edge of the display assembly.

Lift the clutch cover up off the front bezel and set it aside.

When reinstalling the clutch cover, be sure to widen the opening when slipping it over the small black plastic cosmetic cover that fills the open end of the clutch cover when it is in place. The cosmetic cover has very thin and delicate plastic arms that hold it to the right clutch hinge.

Has anyone had compatibility issues with the LVDS cable not being compatible with certain displays? I am trying to replace an LG LP133WX3 with an AU B133EW04 and it seems the cable connectors are different and not compatible.

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When I removed the glass, the adhesive pulled up the camera left side gold ribbon cable. I removed the screw securing the small circuit board to the left of the camera and flipped it over. There's a tiny connector there. I had to pull back the gold tape (on the ribbon cable) and carefully feed the end of the gold mylar ribbon cable into the connector. The gold tape then falls over the top of the connector and would normally hold it place if it hadn't lost it's adhesive.

As the glass may be broken on these, I found that putting Duct tape across the broken screen helped keep it together better for easier removal. Also you might want to watch the small suction cup that comes in the kit as the metal pull ring melts right out, I had to use my bigger suction cups.

Suggest asking if they purchased a refurbished model. My last client's glass was held on with 30lb 3M shelf tape. No amount of heat or alcohol would remove it. Thank goodness the glass was already broken. I had to work for 2 hours to remove all of the glass, and old adhesive is not wanting to come off with elbow grease and alcohol. Going to try using tiny, careful amounts of goo-gone. Don't want anyone else to ever have to deal with this on future repairs (Client is a traveler, and accident prone)